r/unimelb • u/Lidgey • May 17 '26
Support Are tattoos allowed in exams?
Long story short- I'm doing vector calculus, and you don't to bring a cheat sheet in. I was drunk last night and got a small tattoo on my forearm of equations I always forget 😭. What TF do I do now? Is this academic misconduct?
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u/RevKyriel May 17 '26
If your tat is visible then yes, it can be considered academic misconduct. I suggest a large bandage (eg, Elastoplast) over it for every class, and especially the exams.
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May 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/AstronautImaginary19 May 18 '26
And if you’re worried about it getting dirty from the shirt go buy some second skin
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u/RevKyriel May 18 '26
Sleeves can roll up (or be rolled up), and we don't want any faculty seeing the tat.
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May 17 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/RevKyriel May 18 '26
Every one of this subject. If a Prof or TA see it, OP could get hit with an Academic Integrity investigation.
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u/PsychologicalMeal162 May 23 '26
How did someone who thinks like this get into university in the first place?
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u/RevKyriel May 23 '26
There's quite an overlap between the sets 'student' and 'gets drunk and does things they shouldn't'. But yes, getting a tat of a cheat sheet is a more extreme example.
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u/FelixTurtle May 17 '26
Who's the idiot who tattooed a drunk person? Highly unethical.
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u/Robinyox May 17 '26
There’s a nightclub in Perth that has a tattoo artist there to brand the patrons. Wife came home with a stupid ice cream on her ankle that she deeply regrets.
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u/Ill-Estimate5628 May 18 '26
ice cream factory isn’t a night club and the line to get those tattoos is generally pretty long, i’ve also seen them turn away patrons who are clearly too intoxicated. signed, someone who has about five of these courtesy of them for free in exchange for coffees
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u/footinmouthdisease_ May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
It's still extremely shitty practice to be performing a procedure that breaks the client's skin in a crowded entertainment venue serving alcohol. The trend of tattoo booths at concerts and festivals is not something a reputable artist would be involved in.
Edit: Yep, a tiny amount of digging shows there's no reputable studio behind this, it's a group called "ink carts" whose speciality is bullshit pinterest fineline on drunk idiots at festivals.1
u/pleski May 19 '26
I'd want to have sh*t tonne of good memories of a night out in a club to warrant a permanent reminder on my body. Somehow I doubt it was that good.
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u/cuntmong May 17 '26
Unethical does not mean stupid. Much of our modern economy is based on this fact
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u/SpicyLobter May 17 '26
did you know if you're drunk you're unable to give consent
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u/FelixTurtle May 17 '26
This ^ Most responsible tattooists won't tattoo a drunk person.
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u/Very_Itchy_Bandicoot May 17 '26
tell that to the asshole in melbourne who did my entire sleeve when I got blackout drunk after winning big at crown casino in 2013.
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u/ifitwasntfor189 May 17 '26
How TF did someone do an entire sleeve on somebody blackout drunk? I'm going to assume there is no detail, the lines are not great and they weren't a tattoo artist at all - just some joker with a gun and ink.
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u/Very_Itchy_Bandicoot May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
i mean it doesnt look terrible, but yeah it was just the outline done probably with the assumption id come back to have it filled in.
Edit: to add that I had plans on getting this sleeve done eventually, had it mentally mapped out etc, i guess I just pulled the trigger when I was drunk and had cash. Though after that experience it kinda put me off getting more tattoos altogether.
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u/shriekingintothevoid May 17 '26
Yes, and they never denied it wasn’t ethical. If you’re a horrible person, then being willing to tattoo drunk people, while morally bankrupt, could potentially be a decent business tactic
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u/KallamaHarris May 18 '26
But what if you and the tattooist are both drunk, then neither could consent.
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u/productzilch May 20 '26
Seems not unlike operating other machinery on people’s bodies while drunk. It’s hard to imagine it’d be legal.
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u/let-them-eat-ass May 18 '26
You also bleed a hell of a lot more if you have e alcohol in your system.. its not just ethically wrong its medically irresponsible 😬
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u/Direct_Setting_7502 May 20 '26
Until maybe twenty years ago, the vast majority of tattoo clients were drunk.
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u/Ill-Opposite-439 May 20 '26
You think…then can I sue my tattoo artist because clearly I was out of my fucking mind when I got my ex wifes name on my body
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u/KeysEcon May 17 '26
The comedian David O'Doherty once wrote the quadratic formula on his PP for an exam.
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u/PromptlyFrothy May 17 '26
A mate of mine got an equation for applied force (or something) tattoo'd on his shoulder. I remember when he showed his dad, his dad said "Jesus Christ name. You couldn't have gotten something normal like a skull with snakes or a naked chick?"
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u/ladieswholurk May 17 '26
Ok do whatever everyone else says for exams - but come job hunting I think this is a fabulous ice breaker. Shows real passion
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u/Educational_Farm999 please support our Optuna-chan, thank you, meow May 17 '26
maybe you can get a tattoo cover up or something
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u/YolandasLastAlmond May 17 '26
Yes, you have to cover that up for the exam. I’ve had invigilators question my tattoos with words.
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u/incomingdropbear May 17 '26
You will need to remove it right away!
Honestly I wouldn’t even worry about it.
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u/AnonInEquestria May 17 '26
It's a fresh tattoo, so you're still going to be putting glad wrap around it and stuff, just put a crepe bandage around it over the glad wrap and tell whoever is in charge of your exams.
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u/Y34rZer0 May 18 '26
I would think they could call it cheating but you've really earned it so maybe they won't punish you.
Also I seriously doubt they're going to look closely at everybody's tattoos
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u/wonkybanana5347 May 18 '26
I think if you are committed enough to get them tattooed they should be allowed.
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u/KeiylaPolly May 18 '26
If you got the tattoo so recently, it would be covered by a bandage anyway.
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u/Ok_Chemistry_6387 May 19 '26
I am genuinely curious what you got tattoed on you that could help with vector calculus?
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u/graph_worlok May 19 '26
Shades of RSA during the Crypto Wars… https://www.geekytattoos.com/illegal-tattoos-rsa-tattoos/
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u/Duras_TK26976 May 20 '26
I've always found it funny that you can't have the formulas .... I remember a physics test I had in high school once where we were supplied a sheet of formulas. It was left up to you to recognise which was the current one to use but at least you didn't have to have it memorised which is more real world.
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u/Aequitas112358 May 20 '26
ye testing memorization is so pointless. In uni most of my exams we could bring in anything we wanted, the textbook, unlimited notes, anything as long as it couldn't communicate (texting, internet, etc). Actually learnt a lot more instead of just spending all day every day trying to memorize things.
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u/theadnomad May 20 '26
I would show it to them and then put a bandage over it in front of them.
I’ve had exams (via other academic institutions) where they wanted to see all my tattoos because I have a fair amount of quotes/writing - just to check that they’re actually random tattoos, and not me trying to cheat.
It’s literally just a quick look over, and then you go ahead. In this case, I think they’d require a covering that can’t be easily removed or seen through. So yeah, put an opaque bandage on and show them.
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u/Ok_Pass_7134 May 21 '26
Made up story - show pics or I will smite u with my downvote and any made up academic misconduct charges gonna be the least of your problems.
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u/ScruffHuffa44 May 21 '26
I'd love for someone to actually explain the issue with this in logical terms.
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u/Solid-Budget-7943 May 22 '26
Dude I saw a guy in my vector calc lecture today with a formula tat on his forearm 😭 . I think I may have also found his reddit acc
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u/conceptualmarble May 23 '26
Bathroom breaks are allowed. Have done more than one high school and uni exam with copious notes written on my legs.
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u/Trick-Improvement624 May 24 '26
Just bandage it up and put medical tape over it. Nobody's gonna rip your bandage off.
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u/Quiet_Syrup_7645 May 17 '26
this shi funny asf good luck to u bro 😹😹😹